Mngqithi not too impressed with linesman

Linesmen have come under the microscope, especially where DStv Premiership table-toppers Mamelodi Sundowns and Swallows are concerned.

In a contest for the top spot, which dramatically ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, Sundowns cohead coach Manqoba Mngqithi (above) feels his side were harddone-by by the assistant referee on the near side, claiming that Musa Nyatama was in an offside position when he headed home the equaliser in stoppage time.

Two games before this one, Downs benefited from a wrong call by the assistant referee, who incorrectly flagged Bloemfontein Celtic’s goal offside, leaving the match to end in a goalless draw.

This time around, Mngqithi was crying out the loudest because he was on the wrong end of the stick.

“I strongly believe that the goal was way offside and I was asking myself what happened because they got away with the same murder against Orlando Pirates and again now. But in football I guess we must accept that,” said Mngqithi.

“The equaliser was a sucker punch. Our players also lost character and they started kicking the ball out, even when they had options around them.

“The truth of the matter is that it really feels bad when you have done everything in your power to get the result and at the death, you conceed a silly goal, ”he added.

Of late, Masandawana have not been the well-oiled machine that we know them to be in front of goal, having gone two games – prior to playing The Dube Birds – without finding the back of the net.

“It is not a stage where we have to panic and start feeling like we dropped two points. We were not playing against pushovers here. We played against SuperSport United as well, who are up there competing with us.

“We played against Swallows who are also competing with us, and against Celtic, where we had an improved result from the last time we played them in the MTN8.

“Yes, as Sundowns you would want to win all the matches that you play, but I don’t think people need to panic.

“I think we were at that stage where we had had to play around and contend with a lot of changes in the line-up.”